Dear Valued Customers,
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG) has introduced a temporary relief measure to reduce the impact of higher global fuel costs on residential customers' electricity bills.
- In July, the Fuel Factor Rate increased by 42.4% to $0.3017 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in Providenciales, North Caicos, and Middle Caicos.
- The rate in Grand Turk and Salt Cay rose by 34.2% to $0.2636 per kWh.
TCI GOVERNMENT FUEL FACTOR RELIEF PROGRAM
The fuel-driven portion of electricity bills, referred to as the Fuel Factor Rate (also known as the Power Cost Adjustment), will be capped at US$0.22 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for eligible residential customers, from July through October 2026. This is the maximum Fuel Factor Rate a customer will pay per kWh. Once the actual rate exceeds this amount, the government pays the difference directly to the utility on the customers' behalf.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR THE PROGRAM
To qualify each month for the subsidy, residential customer accounts must meet the following requirements, as set by TCIG:
- The rolling average of your previous three electricity bills must be below $1,500, using only charges related to the Electric Rate and the Fuel Factor Rate on your bill.
- No current investigation or confirmed findings of meter tampering, unauthorized connections, or electricity theft.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
- Eligibility is reviewed each billing cycle using your three most recent electricity bills, where available. This means you can qualify in one month, but not another if your rolling average changes and is $1,500 and above.
- The bottom of your bill will be updated to show your latest three-month rolling average, your usage charges and history graph.
- Although some customers will see an increase in their July bill compared to last month because of the higher fuel factor rate, the total will still be lower than it would have been without the TCIG US$0.22 per kWh cap.
HOW MUCH WILL YOU SAVE
In July, the Fuel Factor Rate rose to US$0.3017 per kilowatt hour across some islands. With the cap set at US$0.22 per kWh, the remaining eight cents ($0.08) will be paid by TCIG on your behalf. This means a customer using 550 kWh during the month would save US$44.00 (550 kWh × US$0.08).
HOW TO FIND THE CREDIT ON YOUR BILL
A line item labeled "TCIG Fuel Factor Credit" will appear on the bills of qualifying customers, indicating the value of the assistance provided by TCIG.
Electricity bills will be issued in the coming days as we finalize these system changes to provide relief to customers.
While the subsidy helps reduce the impact of higher fuel costs during the four-month period, lowering energy usage remains one of the most effective ways to control electricity bills and overall consumption.
